People v. Nguyen Decision a Disappointment

The California Supreme Court ruled on July 2, 2009, that juvenile felony adjudications count as “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes Law, even though youth do not have the right to a jury trial in juvenile court. The Youth Law Center is disappointed by the court’s decision, as we had joined in an amicus brief in the case, People v. Nguyen, urging the court to find that the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution prohibit the use of past juvenile adjudications to determine sentencing enhancements in adult cases.